


Takipsilim

by Iamacat



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Demons, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Fantastic Racism, First Love, M/M, Soulmates, Spoopy AU, Supernatural Elements, Undead, Vampires, Werewolves, Witchcraft, Young Love, mature themes, microaggressions against monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-16 19:56:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11835942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamacat/pseuds/Iamacat
Summary: Takipsilim - the time of day between daylight and darknessLong ago, a tragedy befell Lazytown the likes of which no monster had ever seen. To protect themselves, the monsters raised a magical shield to keep out the ones who'd harmed them: the werewolves. Under the protection of the great Glanni Glaepur and later his son, a man now known as "Count Rotten", the monsters of Lazytown enjoyed a peaceful existence safe from harm.Centuries later, the world has moved on and one young witch Stephanie Meanspell is visiting Lazytown for the first time. Her love of sunlight and dislike for scaring humans sets her apart from her peers, but she won't let this get her down. She knows as long as she stays true to herself, someday she'll meet someone like her in Lazytown, someone who laughs and plays and doesn't want to hurt anybody. Someone to help break the stagnation that Lazytown has fallen into...





	Takipsilim

**Author's Note:**

> Cat: This fic was inspired by the talented tealleadership's Lazytown Spoopy AU on tumblr. You should totally check out his art and stuff. Cause it's cool.  
> Dante: Heya guys!!! I'm so proud of sukkuladiepli. (like,,,holy shit) All the work she's done is amazing and she helped me so much to build and bring this AU to life. I know a lot of people have been waiting for this, so I hope everyone will enjoy our hard work!

Stephanie followed the path as her mother had warned her to do. It wasn’t that the woods would be dangerous to her. No matter what other people said, Lazytown was a safe place for those like them. Monsters. Hidden folk. Whatever people called them, Lazytown was supposed to be the place that accepted them and protected them from harm. It was a secret place, a sanctuary for all those who carried magic in their blood. And as a half-witch, Stephanie Meanspell Splitt had plenty of that.

“Of course it’s safe, Stefa,” her mother said the night before while vigorously rubbing bergamot oil on the bridge of her nose and between her brows. Bergamot oil was for confidence and resolve, but Stephanie didn’t feel as though she needed any. She really was excited for the trip, to see her uncle and expand upon her magical training. All of the things she’d be taking with her were packed, her train ticket was bought, and there was nothing left to do but spend the night together as a family because they wouldn’t be able to again for a long time. Stephanie pulled away from her mother and went to her father, who sat in his easy chair with a literature magazine in his lap. She curled up and pressed her cheek against his knee. This was the only thing about the trip that could make her sad: that her mother and father would not be going with her. It struck her as very odd. Her mother was a witch, after all, and her father loved her and their daughter and had never mistreated any monster his entire life. Why couldn’t he go to Lazytown as well?

“I’m not allowed in a girls’ bathroom, either, am I?” He chuckled and Stephanie watched the wrinkles around his eyes crease even deeper. Stephanie was still young– for a witch– but she understood that, just like how monsters wouldn’t be welcome in some places, humans like her father wouldn’t be welcome in Lazytown. It didn’t make sense to her, but that was the way things were. She would miss her father and mother dearly.

Her mother had been stringent in preparing Stephanie for life in Lazytown. For one thing, since it was occupied by monsters, most of its citizens awoke only at sunset and went to sleep at dawn. During the week leading up to the trip Stephanie had stayed up later and later and taken naps during the day to adjust her rhythm. It wasn’t so bad in some ways. The weather had warmed and turned mild, leaving the nights clear for marking the stars and position of the waning moon. Later on when she stopped feeling so sluggish she sat out on the back porch with her mother’s charts. She found the mighty Leo, sanguine Virgo, and vain Cassiopeia. The legendary figures in the sky diluted the feelings of loneliness encroaching upon her as the day of her trip crept closer.

Studying was her retreat. If she knew enough about everything, she’d be prepared for anything. Nothing would be unknown to her, and she’d have nothing to fear. So she told herself, and she put on a brave face and smiled at her parents as she boarded the train that would take her to the lonely station at the edge of the magical forest.

Yes, she would be brave! And excited. When she found the path, she pushed thoughts of her parents to the back of her mind and focused on what lay ahead of her. Her training. A new town. She’d get to meet a lot of new monsters and make new friends. Whether it was her own thoughts, the bergamot oil, or a combination of the two, she took a deep breath, pulled out her flashlight, and set upon the path.

The first thing she felt was _magic_. It saturated the air so thickly it was like a taste on her tongue mingling with the earthy scent of the forest, only more natural and pure. That was the first time she began to fully understand the difference between Lazytown and the rest of the world. Magic wasn’t just another factor of the environment; it _was_ the environment. Everything dripped with power. The trees stood tall and dark like sentries on either side of the overgrown dirt path. Their boughs hung overhead, and their curling spring leaves caught the feeble light of the moon in its third quarter before it could reach the ground. The blue LED light from her flashlight swept out in front of her, but still she was careful to pick her way over the knobby roots and brambles. Many times thorns caught the hem of her pink skirt and she would have to give it a stubborn tug before she could carry on. She had also lived near a woodsy place before her trip. Woodlands did not intimidate her, and she was as comfortable hiking in the rough as she was walking down a sidewalk. She was an excellent tree-climber, though that wouldn’t help her tonight, and she also knew all the names of the flora by heart. After walking for a while with no end in sight, she distracted herself from her growing weariness by reciting their names and uses as she passed.

_Elder. Holding a twig in your mouth will drive away evil spirits. Hazel. The wood makes strong staves and the nuts grant wisdom. Birch. The bark will ease muscle pain._

Her mother hadn’t told her how long she’d have to walk, and it was too late to ask now. Stephanie could only measure how far she’d made her way by how long she’d been walking, which was a while now. The path appeared straight and true but it also seemed to wind around on itself. A subtle illusion created by magic, something that would be very disorienting to a person who wasn’t already familiar with the ways magic could bend perception. Recitation, bit by bit, brought her into focus, and through this she was able to bide by her mother’s warnings. Stay on the path. She wasn’t in danger, but magic could be funny sometimes.

Monsters, too.

A sudden movement in front of her made her jump. Her attention had been on a rowan tree when a streak of grey dashed across the edge of the circle of light cast by her flashlight. She glanced around, wondering if she’d only imagined it, if it was only a trick of shadows and the trees and her imagination. But she’d been walking a long time, and wouldn’t she eventually encounter someone from Lazytown? Perhaps it was someone small that she’d frightened.

“Hello!” she called into the night. The wind stirred, carrying the heavy smell of pollen and wet earth. “Is someone there?”

She gasped when a grey tabby kitten entered the beam of light. It crouched and sniffed inquisitively at the ground with its little triangular nose before rolling onto its side, curling up and stretching itself long and revealing the dark markings on its side shaped in swirls like a vortex. The kitten raised its head to regard her with wide eyes, as if it was as surprised to see her as she was to see it. Only, Stephanie had a reason to be surprised. She knew the kitten.

“Angelica,” she said softly, her breath carried away and muted by a wisp of wind.

Angelica was her cat. Not a familiar– she did not have the training for one yet– but a loyal companion nonetheless, loving and playful, a friend to a young lonely half-witch. Stephanie could play with her for hours sometimes, dragging a feather along the ground with a string or rolling a jingling ball across her mother’s hardwood floors while Angelica endlessly indulged her instincts to hunt and chase prey. When Stephanie had to study, it was impossible not to find Angelica pressing against Stephanie’s waist in a tight ball and purring in contented slumber. Angelica was an indispensable source of joy in Stephanie’s life, who made the days brighter just by being there.

Which was why Stephanie had cried so hard when Angelica had to be put down seven years before.

Upon hearing Stephanie say Angelica’s name, the illusion of Angelica jumped to its feet and darted into a copse of trees, leaving not even paw prints behind. _Do not leave the path_ , Stephanie heard her mother’s voice ring loud and clear through her ears. She tightened her grip on the flashlight while something inside her protectively hardened itself. It was hard not to be so upset about such a personal intrusion. Tears stung her eyes that she hurriedly blinked away, holding her breath and trying not to let her hand shake. It had hurt, to be alone for the first time and then see such a dear friend disappear again. Now she was completely aware of the aching loneliness she felt in the middle of the woods. She wanted her mother and father. She wanted this path to end already and be in Lazytown so she could see her uncle and go to bed. It was the middle of the night and she was tired. She couldn’t even see the night sky through the trees.

“Who’s there?” Her voice shook with anger rather than fear, though she was both in near equal parts as the thunderous pounding of her heart in her chest. She couldn’t let herself be too afraid of an illusion, though. She herself was a half-witch, someone born with the innate ability to sense and shape the magic seeping from the earth. She didn’t know what would have happened to her if she had followed Angelica off the path, so it all seemed more like a mean prank than anything else. “Come out!” She stomped her foot.

“Okay.” She wasn’t expecting anyone to answer, so at first she thought she had imagined the small voice. A boy hopped onto the path, his bare feet kicking up dust.

Stephanie brought a hand up to her mouth to stifle a gasp. Where the boy’s right eye should have been was a black hole surrounded by puffy grey skin. His other eye was dull blue and lifeless. He regarded her for a moment with barely contained excitement, a friendly smile exposing the small gap between his two front teeth.

“Hi!” he said.

It was rude to stare, but she’d never seen anyone like the boy before. A zombie, she realized. He couldn’t be anything else. This boy looked like the pictures of zombies in her books. She was glad for the bergamot oil her mother had used on her now.

“Your eye!” Stephanie exclaimed. The boy absentmindedly raised a brown-smeared hand in front of the hole.

“Oh. Whoops.” He giggled, an oddly light-hearted sound she didn’t expect from somebody who had just lost a body part.

Stephanie scanned the ground with her flashlight. “Did you drop it around here? Maybe we can still find it.”

The ground was bare of eyeballs. Stephanie aimed the light directly into the forest, which hungrily swallowed it whole. But of course they weren’t going to find the eyeball. How could they, in the dense foliage in the middle of the night? Her hand dropped dishearteningly.

The zombie boy, however, did not seem too upset by the loss of his eye. His one remaining eye was trained on Stephanie’s flashlight with keen interest.

“What’s that? Is it magic?” he asked.

“This?” She laughed and shook her head. “No, it’s not magic. It’s a flashlight. My dad gave it to me so I could see where I was walking.”

At the mention of her father, a serious look crossed the zombie boy’s face and he looked at the flashlight with a solemn respect. He bit his lower lip. “Could I look at it? I promise to give it back.”

“Uh, sure. Be careful. It’s a little heavy.” She handed her flashlight to the delighted zombie boy. What did this mean, that he was so excited to see a simple flashlight? It was hard to think about. Lazytown was supposed to be disconnected from the flow of the rest of the world. If they didn’t have flashlights, what else didn’t they have? Would she be reading her books by gaslight, candlelight? Would she have to learn to write with a quill?

“My name is Ziggy,” he said as he waved the flashlight around. First he pointed it directly at his face, squinting his one eye as if he could study the light itself, then turned the flashlight down on his yellowed nails, wiggling the toes to which they were attached. When he found the on-off switch, he giggled in delight at this newfound power to make the light come and go as he pleased. Stephanie found herself laughing and smiling along with him; it was hard not to. She laid her backpack carefully on the ground and sat between two roots of a birch tree.

“I’m Stephanie.” She explained about going to visit her uncle in Lazytown.

“Are you going to live in Lazytown?” Stephanie nodded. Ziggy started bouncing on his feet. “That’s great! Oh! Oh! You should meet the others!”

Stephanie clapped her hands together. “That’s a great idea. Who are the others?”

“They’re the other kids in Lazytown. Let’s see, there’s Stingy, Pixel, and Trixie.” He counted them off on his fingers. “We were following you and they ran ahead. I’m kind of slow so I got left behind. They must be around here somewhere.” Stephanie frowned, perplexed at the idea she’d been followed. Why hadn’t they greeted her, then?

Before she could open her mouth, Ziggy shone the light into the forest. It penetrated the shadows and illuminated the trees as though it were a ray of sunlight. Almost immediately there was a rustle in the brush and an agitated groan.

“Ziggy! You’re not supposed to _tell_ our prey we’re following them,” a nasally voice came from the trees.

Ziggy merely laughed. “Sorry, Stingy.”

 _Prey?_ Stephanie pursed her lips but didn’t say anything.

“Hey, guys! You should come out and meet Stephanie,” Ziggy called. Two figures appeared on the path. The first was a young boy, a little taller than Ziggy and his skin had a more leathery texture, wrapped in browned bandages, clean white cotton, and adorned with gold armlets and a golden pectoral set with jade.

The other was a demon. Stephanie gasped when she saw them; demons weren’t common in the corporeal plane because binding them required complex and powerful spells. Demons were, in their natural state, beings of pure magical energy, and though this one had a physical form- strong and slender, with a flat chest and epicene face and two great black horns sprouting from their head- Stephanie could feel tendrils of magic wafting around it, tickling her like a strongly-scented perfume.

The demon smiled at her slyly. “Hi Stephanie,” they said.

“Hi,” she replied, stunned.

“Stephanie’s a witch.”

“Oh, she’s a _witch_.” The demon flicked their tail, brow rising in interest. The mummy stood silently scrutinizing her. He tilted his head slightly to the left and exhaled heavily through his nose.

“This is Trixie, and this is Stingy, and this—” Ziggy pointed up to the air. Stephanie followed his finger and gasped again. A pale blue boy hovered over the group. His body was vaporous and transparent, and his eyes glowed white. “—is Pixel.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Stephanie told Pixel, covering her mouth in embarrassment. Pixel chuckled nervously, shaking his head.

“That’s okay. It’s nice to meet you, Stephanie.” His voice sounding like it was being carried from far away on the wind. A ghost. Seeing him, Stephanie felt a chill go through her, then a deep sadness that overshadowed her homesickness. She swallowed hard and blinked.

Stephanie wasn’t sure what to do now. There they were, the five of them, in the middle of a magical forest in the middle of the night. This, she supposed, would be the new normal that her mother tried to prepare her for. It was a little lackluster compared to what she had imagined.

“It’s nice to meet all of you,” she said.

Trixie was the first to react. They were quick on their feet, like a cat, bounding across the path to Stephanie’s side. In a second they had one arm wrapped around Stephanie’s neck and had pressed their body close to hers. She noticed that their dark skin was actually covered in short, dense marron hairs. The hairs almost prickled, but not quite. Trixie’s body was warm like a fire. Heat rose in Stephanie’s stomach just from their touch. Trixie plucked Stephanie’s hat right from her head and smiled, exposing their fangs.

“Uh.” It all had happened so quickly Stephanie could only stare in slight shock, mesmerized. Trixie’s eyes glowed like the brimstone that supposedly made up the hell dimension she came from.

“So, Stephanie. What’s a cute witch like yourself doing in these woods?”

 _Cute_?

Only adults had ever called her cute before. No one near her age (or appeared near her age) had told her that. Looking into Trixie’s face, which was just inches from her own, there was something keen in their expression. Flustered, Stephanie hesitated a few seconds to collect her wits and remember exactly what she was doing in the woods.

“I’m going to stay with my uncle in Lazytown.”

“Really? That will make us neighbors, then,” Trixie said with a sly smile.

Stephanie glanced at Trixie, then the boys. “You’re all from Lazytown?”

“Yep,” Trixie answered. “We play in these woods at night. This is our hunting ground for unwary humans that are too dumb to know where they’re going.”

Hunting grounds? Stephanie’s eyes widened in alarm as the pieces snapped together in her head. This is what her mother had tried to warn her about. The kids– no, the monsters who lived in Lazytown went into the woods at night. They hunted. They had hunted _her_. She pushed Trixie away firmly– but not too hard because she didn’t want to hurt them by accident– and stumbled back.

“You made that illusion!”

Trixie grinned proudly. “Illusions are just one of my specialties. It was pretty good, huh?”

Stephanie crossed her arms. “It was mean.” She frowned.

“We were playing. It was a game, trying to make you lose your bearings so you’d step off the path.”

“She’s right, though. It was kind of mean to use that particular illusion,” Pixel chimed in, but whether it didn’t hear his whispery voice or did and chose to ignore it Trixie stood steadfast in her decision that she’d done nothing wrong.

“You saw through it, didn’t you? You must be a really talented witch to see through my illusion so quickly.”

Again what Trixie said made her flustered, but Stephanie held onto her anger that she felt justified. Together, the two feelings boiled in her chest and fermented into frustration. Her mother had taught her it was smart to keep quiet when she was mad, to keep from saying anything she might regret later. Stephanie pressed her lips together and let her face say everything she wanted to but couldn’t.

“Okay, okay,” Trixie relented. “We’ll make it up to you. We’ll walk with you to Lazytown.”

“How far is it from here?”

“Depends on how long the forest feels like making you go in circles.” Seeing the confused look on Stephanie’s face, Trixie laughed. “The forest is magic. It can make the path as long or as short as it wants, but if you know it well like I do, then you can get to Lazytown in no time at all.”

Stephanie looked back at the boys for confirmation. Stingy looked disinterested and bored. Ziggy unhelpfully shrugged and nodded noncommittally. Pixel hovered shyly around a tree, but when Stephanie caught his eye he seemed to recognize her reluctance. He smiled encouragingly.

“She means it. The forest always makes the path longer for newcomers. It’s a magical curiosity, but if we’re with you, it should lead us straight to town no problem.”

If it had just been Trixie, Stephanie might have suspected another trick. She still did, a little bit, a feeling she was sure would take a long time to go away, but Pixel didn’t have any reason to go along with it. And why would they try to pull another one over on her, after she confided that she was like them?

“I guess it will be okay.” She perked up and smiled, big and wide. “Thank you so much!”

“Not at all. It’s a nice night for a walk, huh?” Trixie’s tail swished side to side. They placed Stephanie’s witch’s hat back on her head with a flourish and bounded off down the path on all fours.

Stingy harrumphed. It was a shocking, low sound from the young-looking boy that reminded Stephanie of the same way her father would cough when he read football scores in the newspaper.

“Excuse me, but why do we have to walk with Stephanie? She is quite capable of walking on her own, and we were in the middle of a game.”

“Aw, come on, Stingy. Walking with Stephanie sounds like a lot more fun than wandering around the woods all night,” Ziggy pleaded.

“Yeah, and it’s the least we can do after trying to scare her,” added Pixel.

“Last one to Lazytown is a big wet he-en!” Trixie called from far up ahead. That got them moving. No one wanted to be a wet hen.

 

\-----

 

It didn’t take them _no_ time, but it did take very little time for the five of them to break through the woods and come out onto a road bordered on either side by long stretches of green fields. Over a small knoll Stephanie could see the dim glow of lights and the rooftops of houses, grey smoke puffing from their chimneys. Trixie came to a stop at the top of the knoll and placed their hands on their hips.

“Stephanie Meanspell, welcome to Lazytown!”

The layout of the town was sprawled out and haphazard, as though the monsters had just built houses and buildings wherever they felt like, with no respect to layout or aesthetics. Some of the houses were better built than others; others seemed little more than some misshapen wood boards nailed together in twists and curves. But despite that, taking in the whole of it, Stephanie admired the little town for its simplicity and rustic feel.

As she entered the town proper, the air rippled around her. It was faint, but the electric tingle of magic was unmistakable. She looked back, straining in vain to see with her eyes. No, it wasn’t something that could be seen, but there was something there.

“Are you okay?” Ziggy asked.

“Yes, I’m fine.” But she did not stop trying to figure out what she’d sensed. It wasn’t anything like she’d felt before. Was it maybe the town itself?

Ziggy frowned. He followed her line of sight, but without a sense for magic he only saw the unpaved road, the fields, and the trees they’d left behind. He shifted his weight between his feet. “Here’s your flashlight back.”

“Huh? Oh, thanks.” She took it. They were close enough to town now that the lights from what she could now identify as coming from gas lamps were enough to see. Well, at least it wasn’t completely dark. Being used to bright electric light, Stephanie had to squint, and he still mostly could only make the shape of things. She tucked the flashlight back into her bag just as she heard someone call her name.

“Stephanie. Oh, Stephanie!”

A heavyset, balding man dressed in mustard-colored robes waved at her. At once all the trouble in the forest was forgotten, and Stephanie rushed forward, laughing.

“Uncle Milford!”

Her uncle, the wizard Milford Meanspell, was an old wizard her mother sometimes commented on as ‘a little too magical for his own good’ during his annual visit. While her mother had chosen to travel the world and eventually settled down with Stephanie’s father, her Uncle Milford had remained in Lazytown, where he commanded a certain great respect for his talents. He left only once a year on the winter solstice to visit his sister and her family. Then he would bring Stephanie a small magical token and bake a cake to finish off their solstice dinner with, though most years it was lopsided or the icing was uneven, but it was always sweet and Stephanie still looked forward to it. He was always smiling, always kind and generous with whatever he had, and it was no surprise that naturally he’d been recognized as a town leader, the mayor.

“How was your trip?”

Stephanie hugged him tightly and never wanted to let go. “It was good. The forest kept rearranging the path, I guess, but then I met Ziggy, Stingy, Pixel, and Trixie. They showed me the way out.” She made no mention of the trick they had played on her.

Uncle Milford glanced at the four monster children and nodded his acknowledgement. “Such good children. Thank you for helping my niece.”

“No problem, Wizard. It was our pleasure,” Trixie said, all innocence. Stephanie looked at her and their eyes met. Stephanie looked away first, turning back to her uncle.

“Stephanie’s really nice,” Ziggy said.

“She’s a great girl. I hope you all help to make her feel at home here in Lazytown. Now let’s get you settled in.”

They waved good bye to the kids. Stephanie followed her uncle to his atelier. It was a warm, single-story house that smelled of boiling spices and fresh-baked bread. Inside, wreaths of garlic and onion hung from the ceiling; bundles of fragrant herbs were set before the hearth to dry by the crackling fire’s heat; a cauldron was set in the middle of the main room, empty for now. Various stones and talismans lay scattered across the numerous shelves, some etched with archaic letters that she somewhat recognized.

Stephanie stepped carefully into her bedroom, which was to the left of the main room and was slightly cooler than the rest of the house, but not unpleasantly so. There wasn’t much there now except a bed and mahogany work desk, her uncle apparently having decided to let her customize her room as she saw fit. She set her bag down on the bed and was surprised by a soft rustling sound. Inspecting closer, she discovered the bed to be made of straw, and it was surprisingly soft. The bed was set under a large window that offered her a view of the front yard and the pumpkins growing in her uncle’s garden. Once she’d unpacked her things and began her studies, she would ask her uncle if she could use a portion of the yard for her own garden. Gardening had been one of her favorite hobbies back at home. She liked the smell of the wet earth under her fingernails and watching tender life sprout and grow from the soil.

She unpacked quickly and methodically. In her mind she already knew the right place where each of her things belonged, and that’s where they went. Her mother had enchanted her bag with a simple spell. On the outside it appeared to be a regular bookbag one could expect to see any girl carry, but the inside had expanded to be able to carry most of her belongings. The furniture was very different, the atelier smelled different, but being surrounded by familiar things would help make this place feel like home.

An hour later she stepped back and looked around her room, finding everything satisfactory. Almost as if on cue, a knock sounded on the open door. Uncle Milford poked his head in, looking slightly surprised at the progress she’d made so quickly. Stephanie looked up to him and smiled.

“Hi, Uncle.”

“Hello, Stephanie. I came to check on how you were settling in. Are you hungry? Thirsty? I can warm a cup of apple cider, if you want.”

“I’m fine. I was just finishing up. It already feels like my room at home.”

“That’s very good.” Uncle Milford raised an authoritative finger. “You know, it’s important that you feel comfortable in the place that you’re studying. A good workspace is one of the most important parts of being a good witch. It should be clean, organized, not too crowded. It never hurts to have a bit of amethyst around, too, to help focus the energies, and some flowers to brighten up the place…”

“Uncle, you’re rambling.”

“What? Oh dear, oh dear. I’m sorry. We can get to that later. Ah, yes. I remember what I came in here for. How are you feeling?”

The question caught her slightly off guard. “I guess I’m feeling… okay? Everything is still new.”

“I know it’s hard to move away from home for the first time. It’s a very big step in your training. You’re growing up, Stephanie.”

“Aw, Uncle Milford.” Stephanie fell back on her bed, legs swinging in the air. She watched her shoelaces bounce. “Everything feels heavier here, I think. No, that’s not the right word. Everything is… stronger. Like back home was a waxing crescent, and here it’s the full moon.”

Her uncle nodded wisely. “Lazytown is the most magical place on earth. That’s why it’s safe for our kind here. You’ll get used to it as your own power grows. Spells will be much easier to cast.”

“I think I understand.” Something he said reminded her of crossing into town. “You said this place is safe for our kind. Do you mean the- when I walked into town, I felt something. Is that some kind of shield?”

“Very good! You’re very perceptive. Yes, that’s the barrier that protects us.”

“From what?”

“Why, from the things that would hurt us.”

“Like what?” Her curiosity piqued now, she wondered what he meant. The forest surrounding the town was magical and surely would keep hunters away. Why did they need a barrier? It seemed redundant.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about just as you’re arriving,” Uncle Milford said. “I have an idea. Now that you’re finished unpacking, why don’t you go play with the other children? They were very excited to meet you.” He clumsily changed the subject, but the way he was wringing his hands gave Stephanie pause. She crossed her arms and pursed her lips but did not press the issue. She would find out sooner or later, somehow.

Maybe Trixie knew.


End file.
